The Wildebeest Implementation Alternative
by Hurbanu
Summary: This is my alternative take on the Season 4 episode The Wildebeest Implementation. The dialogue in the beginning is the same as the episode but then veers on to a different direction. It is my first attempt at Fanfiction so would appreciate reviews. Was originally going to be one-shot but I think the story needed expanding. Of course I do not own any of the characters.
1. Chapter 1

Apartment 4B Las Robles Avenue

Amy informs Penny "Good news: the wildebeest is in the curry."

Penny is, not for the first time that day, confused."The what?"

"Bernadette is with Priya and Leonard. Message received. Commence operation "Priya Wouldn't Wanna be-ya."

Penny gets slightly exasperated."Seriously? Didn't you get enough of this cliquey crap in high school?"

Amy's response then evokes her sympathy. "I wish. A clique requires friends. I didn't have any."

Penny is surprised. "None?

"I used to take my lunch down to the maintenance room and eat with the janitor. It was nice until his wife called me a puta and made me stop. Hang on. It's the wildebeest. Priya just made a snide comment about your acting career."

Amy's sudden change of topic catches Penny by surprise."Wh… What the hell did she say?"

"She thinks it's cool you're following your dream, no matter what.

"That bitch!"

"How do you want to handle it?" Amy is getting excited.

Penny has to think very quickly."Um, okay. Tell Bernadette to tell Priya that I'm on my way to Prague to shoot a movie with Angelina Jolie."

"Got it. Is it going to be in 3-D?"

Penny is further confused. "What? I don't know. It doesn't matter."

Amy now had a very mischievous smile. "I'm gonna say 3-D. That'll let her know the studio has faith in it."

Raj's apartment.

Leonard is startled "You're kidding. 3-D?"

Bernadette is surprisingly confident."That's what I hear."

Howard backs her up."Then the studio must have real faith in it."

Leonard is still very surprised."Wonder why she didn't tell me."

Even though she is not a litigator Priya suddenly goes into cross examination mode on her boyfriend. "Have you been spending time with your ex-girlfriend?"

Leonard is lying through his teeth."No".

Priya continues."Then why are you surprised she didn't tell you?"

Leonard is now struggling."Well, it's not as much surprised as, uh, uh, you know, uh. th-th-th-the other thing."

"What other thing?"

Leonard is finding it harder and harder to get out of the metaphorical hole that he had dug for himself.

"Well, you know, if you, if, if, if you, uh, I don't, oh, what's the word I'm looking for?"

Leonard looks pleadingly towards Howard. Howard however has a big grin on his face."I'm not going to help you. This is hilarious."

Howard's wife however does try to change the subject."She's also dating an astronaut."

Priya is slightly taken aback."Wow. That's very impressive."

Bernadette however doesn't like her friends feeling inferior."Yeah. But Leonard's impressive, too".

Leonard tried to build on Bernadette's comment in order to recover from his earlier faux pas."Thank you. Befuddled. The word I was looking for was befuddled."

This however does not have the effect Leonard intended and instead leads to Priya reverting back to interrogation mode."Leonard you promised that you would no longer be spending any time with Penny. Have you broken your promise?"

Leonard's voice becomes higher pitched."No"

However he is now overcome with guilt and whispers to himself 'I can't do this'."Actually yes. My car broke down the other week and I asked Penny to come and pick us up. I'm sorry".

Priya is now confused."When did your car breakdown and who is this us?"

Leonard is now in full confessional mode. "My car broke down after I, Sheldon, Howard and Raj went to Todd Zarnecki's house"

"Who the hell is Todd Zarnecki?"

"He is the guy that hacked into Sheldon's World of Warcraft account and stole his stuff. Sheldon traced him to his address in San Diego and we all went to confront him. On the way back home my car broke down"

Priya was staring to get angry."So you called Penny instead of me. Why?"

"Because I had told you that I was working late when in fact I had gone to San Diego"

Priya realised something and felt further betrayed."Hold on I asked Rajesh about whether you were working late that day he said that you were."

Leonard's levels of guilt were increasing.

"Sorry I actually told him to do that"

Priya's anger levels were rising although outwardly she maintained a facade of calm."So now I not only have my boyfriend lying to me but also have my brother being complicit in that lie with him. This just gets better. However what I don't understand is why you felt the need to lie in the first place?"

Leonard's confessional continued."I didn't think you would understand that I had blown off spending time with you in order to help Sheldon retrieve his stolen items "

Priya retorted."You're right I don't understand but I suppose Penny does? That is why you called her instead of me. After all I bet she finds you and your friends' teenage obsessions of superheroes and games, cute?"

Leonard now found that he was getting angry. "Please Priya, Penny did nothing wrong .All she did is help her friends out when we needed her".

"You told me that you had spoken to her about you and her not associating with each other anymore. Yet the first chance she gets she violates that".

Leonard defends Penny. "Actually it was I who broke the promise not Penny. I rang her"

However Priya is still in attack mode. "She could have said no".

"I was the one who told Penny that me and her needed to stay away from each other. Although she respected the reasons for my request I know it is not something she wanted. It is something I requested because you asked me to. It was I who then contradicted what I had told her by ringing her.

Anyway what I talked to her about was about was me and her keeping our distance from each other. I have no right to tell Penny to stay away from Sheldon, Howard or even Raj, who were in the car with me. These are people that she has known and been friends with for years. Is she not allowed to help them?

By the way you are right; Penny is not somebody who is judgemental about her friends' hobbies. Sure she rolls her eyes and makes fun of us occasionally but she accepts us for what we are. That is one of the things that I lo.. I mean like about her."

Priya's fury is now starting to become visible on her face.

"You were going to say love weren't you? You are still in love with your ex-girlfriend despite the fact that she dumped you publicly when you told her this. You're not only defending her, but you are insinuating that she was somehow a better girlfriend to you than I am because she was tolerant of your childish hobbies. You are all grown men for God's sake, you need to act your age"

Leonard's need to defend Penny and his friends was making him even less inhibited but he was now getting emotional when Priya reminded him about the Bowling Alley incident. His eyes were moist and his voice was cracking and he was no longer looking at Priya but looking into the distance.

"She is mo.. more than tolerant Priya she is somebody who takes an interest in our hobbies, before and even after she stopped dating me. She is somebody who has always tried to smooth our rough edges in order to get us to fit in but has never tried to fundamentally change me or my friends. She likes us for who we are. Unlike you she was nev.. never embarrassed by me, she never made me wear contact lenses or completely change my wardrobe".

Priya was now very jealous after them remarks."So me trying to improve your style, make you more presentable was wrong. In fact compared to Penny everything that I do as your girlfriend is wrong. This is the same Penny who was so good to you that she decided to break up with you in public."

Leonard was now visibly distressed and was furiously shaking his Asthma inhaler. He took a couple of puffs from it before replying."That was mmm my faul..lt I was pushing her to make a commitment that she was not ready for".

Priya was incredulous."That is pathetic Leonard. I am glad that we have had this discussion because I now realise how deluded you are when it comes to that girl. My God she humiliated you, yet you still defend her. It goes without saying that our relationship is now over, not that it ever stood a chance with you constantly pining and unfavourably comparing me to the actress slash waitress who is your lost love."

"Enough Priya".Howard had reached the end of his tether. He had found Leonard's discomfort amusing at first but then as the discussion between Priya and Leonard became more heated he realised that his friend was now being put through the proverbial emotional wringer he became increasingly concerned.

Priya is momentarily startled by Howard's uncharacteristic forcefulness however she quickly recovers her poise."Please Howard this is none of your business. This is between me and Leonard".

Howard however was not backing down.

"The hell it is, Leonard is my friend and I get the fact that he has hurt you but I have known him for nearly 8 years and I know what he did wouldn't have been intentional. Yes he lied to you however it wasn't about anything major, it's not like he cheated on you."

Priya was not backing down either

"Well no he didn't cheat but he might as well have he chose to spend time with his friends and his ex-girlfriend over me".

"Yes because he knew that you not only don't understand our hobbies but you are openly contemptuous of them. With regards to Penny you also really don't understand, she is more than his ex-girlfriend she is his neighbour and close friend. Like Leonard said she sometimes makes fun of us but she does understand, like Bernie does, like Amy does, the passion we have for our hobbies. Penny has been part of our social group for a long time even before I met Bernie and before Sheldon met Amy. In fact it was Leonard and Penny who were responsible for getting Bernie and I together. Considering this is it reasonable for you to ask him to stay from her?

"It is absolutely reasonable especially considering what we have found out now about his feelings for her. He was supposedly in a serious relationship with me and that should have trumped any sort of relationship that he had with Penny. Unless of course he still has feelings for her in which case he should not be in a relationship with anyone else until he has resolved those feelings."

"To be fair he hasn't said he still has feelings for Penny.

Priya was on a roll."He was just about to admit it before he stopped himself and let's be honest the way he has been speaking about her and the way he looks at her, even when I am there, makes it patently obvious"

"May be it is to those who are on the outside looking in, but I don't think it is obvious to Leonard and that is my point. You've criticised the way that Penny dumped, sorry, ended her relationship with Leonard. At the time we were all pretty mad at her but we all know now that she was confused and allowed Will Wheaton to deceive her. The bottom line is Leonard told her he loved her she obviously didn't feel the same way and didn't want to string him along. What she did was misguided but her intention was to spare the feelings of somebody she cared about. What you are doing is humiliating him as some sort of revenge as he has unintentionally hurt you"

Priya's fury was now visible."EXCUSE me for being human and for criticising my boyfriend for having feelings for another woman. I didn't realise that this was wrong and that I was on some sort of path to sainthood."

Leonard was going through an emotional rollercoaster he was feeling guilty, humiliated and hurt especially when he was reminded for the third time within the space of a few minutes, on this occasion by Howard, of Penny's rejection of him at the Bowling Alley. He was also conflicted about his relationship with Priya. He had really wanted it to work but Priya had just made him realise that he had been, albeit unknowingly, always been comparing her in an unfavourable way to Penny. Whether he meant to or not he had hurt her. He needed to apologise and let the relationship end with Priya's dignity and self respect intact.

"Priya I am very sorry. You have every right to be mad because I have betrayed you. I didn't mean to but I have. You are a wonderful woman and I am very lucky that you gave me the time of day, much less went out with me. Any problems are to do with me and what's going on in my head. Nothing to do with you. I am going to leave now and I again emphasise I am really, really sorry."

He was now in tears. Bernadette has been unusually quiet but there had been a reason for this. Whilst Priya was interrogating Leonard, she had texted Amy telling her that she was going to ring her but that Amy was to answer the 'phone but not say anything. Bernadette was then going to put her 'phone on speaker mode to allow both Amy but particularly Penny to eavesdrop on the argument that was taking place. Bernadette had an idea that the discussion would be heading in the direction that it had and that Penny needed to hear it. However after seeing the impact that the row was having on Leonard she also felt moved to intervene.

"Leonard you always do this, all your friends love you". 'Some more deeply than others, even though they don't realise it themselves'. she thought to herself.

She continued. "We can't stand by and let you feel that you are solely to blame for this relationship ending".

Bernadette was now also on the verge of losing her temper and as a result her voice became deeper and more shrill until she sounded like her future mother in law. She was glaring at Priya whilst still talking to Leonard.

"How can you be when the person you are in a relationship with is trying to mould you into becoming somebody you are not. You are not only a genius scientist but you are more importantly a loving, tolerant person and a loyal friend. Yes you are also a geek your hobbies and the way you dress reflect that. However if you truly care for somebody then you accept that person both for their qualities and their flaws. You don't try to change them to become something they are not".

Leonard however was now overwhelmed with guilt. "Bernadette I have to take responsibility for my actions. I was obviously stringing Priya along and she doesn't deserve that. Nobody deserves that. This is all on me and for what I have done Priya I am truly sorry. I am hope one day you will find it in your heart to forgive me".

Leonard was walking out to leave when he heard a faint but familiar voice say "Leonard Hofstadter don't you dare blame yourself".

He looked around and was very puzzled as to whose voice that was and where the voice was originating from. Seeing Bernadette furiously doing something to her 'phone did not immediately clarify the situation.

He however didn't want to think about that now. He just wanted to leave. He approached the door and was just about to go into the hallway when he heard Priya shout. "Leonard, wait".


	2. Chapter 2

Apartment 4B

Amy is slightly baffled "That's odd"

"Why? What's she said now?"Penny's reply was terse as she was very tense about what might be being said about her at Raj's apartment. The 3 large glasses of wine that she had drunk were not helping either.

"If you are referring to Priya she hasn't said anything. It's Bernadette she is asking if my 'phone is connected to your wifi. Well strictly it is not your wifi it is Leonard and Sheldon's and Sheldon gives me the password when I come to the apartment. Isn't that so sweet of him?"

Penny is irritated and rolls her eyes "Yeah Sheldon is a real sweetheart! Why does Bernie want you to hook you on to my, sorry, Leonard and Sheldon's Wifi?"

"I don't know, I'm just confirming to her that my 'phone is automatically connected to it. She is now asking me to connect my 'phone to your Bluetooth speaker, the one her and I got you for Christmas.

"It's over there on the media centre. What is going on?" Penny is frustrated.

"Just give me a minute, let me connect to the Bluetooth. Right done. Now what? She is now saying that she is going to ring me I have to answer but not say anything. In fact she is saying we both have to remain silent. She is very bossy is Bernadette, we'll have to talk to her about it sometime. Oh I understand what she's doing. Bestie we're going to be eavesdropping on Leonard and Priya". Amy's excitement levels are reaching a crescendo.

Penny however is conflicted. "Amy we can't do that, it's not right"

"Oh bestie you can be such a buzz kill sometimes. Too late Bernadette is ringing"

Penny hurriedly announces "I'm going to my room".

"Please yourself I'm staying here" Amy is feeling a mixture of excitement and disappointment.

Penny is going towards her bedroom door but immediately stops in her tracks when she hears Priya's voice emanating from her speaker. '_Leonard you promised that you would no longer be spending any time with Penny. Have you broken your promise?'_

"Oh for God's sake Leonard grow a pair and stand up to her". Penny suddenly and loudly decides to engage with what she is hearing.

"Bestie shh they'll be able to hear you" Amy is both surprised and concerned. The surprise is due to Penny's emotional volatility, she was going to go to her room to avoid listening to Leonard and Priya. Now without warning she is not only listening but acting like a sort of critical cheerleader for Leonard.

Her concern is around the fact that Penny is filling another glass of wine which means that her shouting and volatility is likely to get worst.

As if to prove her point Penny lets out a loud cheer. "Yes well done honey, good on you tell her you called me instead of her"

Penny's anger turns to joy and her inhibitions are gradually decreasing.

Amy is momentarily startled she has never heard Penny call Leonard honey. The only term of endearment that Amy has ever heard Penny use with anyone is sweetie. However she puts that to the back of her mind and focuses back on what is happening in the apartment.

"Penny please just listen, don't say anything out loud or you will spoil everything".

Amy feels a slight bit of relief when Penny's facial expression turns serious and she nods. However the bottle of wine is still near at hand and the glass which was full is rapidly emptying.

The continuing argument is coming through loud and clear through the speaker.

'_You're right I don't understand but I suppose Penny does? That is why you called her instead of me. After all I bet she finds you and your friends' teenage obsessions of superheroes and games, cute?'_

Penny is about to shout "it's not about it being cute" when she is glared at by Amy.

"Sorry shhh" Penny now whispers whilst also giggling, indicating that she is becoming increasingly inebriated.

She continues whispering. "Leonard is cute, his game playing and Star Trek and Star Wars is part of who he is. So I supposed that is cute as well. What do you know Priya is right about me. I do think Leonard's nerdy hobbies are cute"

This leads to another bout of giggling followed by some whispering directed at Amy." I can still kick his and Sheldon's ass at Halo, I bet I can kick Priya's ass as well"

Amy, although not at the same level as Sheldon, Leonard or Howard, is tech savvy. She suddenly realises that muting her 'phone's microphone would not hamper her or Penny's ability to listen to what was being said at Raj's apartment. However it would stop Priya and Leonard from hearing any of Penny's potential outbursts. Amy wonders why she didn't think of this earlier or Bernadette didn't think of telling her to do this.

As the argument between Priya and Leonard proceeds Penny occasionally whispers phrases like '_you tell her'_ and '_damn right'_. Amy also noticed that Penny seems happy which is indicated by the fulsome smile that is on her face. Amy has never seen Penny smile like this before.

They continue listening as Leonard not only defends but praises Penny.

'_By the way you are right; Penny is not somebody who is judgemental about her friends' hobbies. Sure she rolls her eyes and makes fun of us occasionally but she accepts us for what we are. That is one of the things that I lo.. I mean like about her.'_

Amy's notices not only that Penny's smile becomes even broader (not something she thought was possible) but that she is also biting her lip. Amy had never seen Penny react like that to anything or anyone.

She however is not allowed to get too distracted by this as she is shocked by Priya's response to Leonard.

'_You were going to say love weren't you? You are still in love with your ex-girlfriend despite the fact that she dumped you publicly when you told her this. You're not feeling only defending her, but you are insinuating that she was somehow a better girlfriend to you than I am because she was tolerant of your childish hobbies. You are all grown men for God's sake, you need to act your age.'_

Penny's happy, almost ecstatic mood, is suddenly replaced by visceral anger. Her nostrils are flaring and her teeth are gritted.

" That bitch, who the hell does she think is ? How dare she bring that up. That was nothing to do with her that is between me and Leonard"

She is just about to ask Amy to drive her to Raj's apartment so she can confront her adversary but she is brought to a halt by the manner of Leonard's response.

'_She is mo.. more than tolerant Priya she is somebody who takes an interest in our hobbies, before and even after she stopped dating me. She is somebody who has always tried to smooth our rough edges in order to get us to fit in but has never tried to fundamentally change me or my friends. She likes us for who we are. Unlike you she was nev.. never embarrassed by me, she never made me wear contact lenses or completely change my wardrobe'_

"Oh my God my sweetie is crying". She realises what she has said "I mean Leonard is crying".

Amy notices that there are tears springing from Penny's eyes as well. "She is supposed to be his g..girlfriend she is supposed to care about his f..feelings and is that how you are supposed to treat somebody you c..care for?"

'_So me trying to improve your style, make you more presentable was wrong. In fact compared to Penny everything that I do as your girlfriend is wrong. This is the same Penny who was so good to you that she decided to break up with you in public.'_

"Bitch will you l... let that go, can't you see you're r...really u...upsetting him." Penny is now rapidly losing control of her emotions and is now loudly sobbing.

She hears heavy breathing through her speakers and realises that Leonard's asthma must be flaring up. Oh my God Amy she is killing him. If anything happens to him I swear I w..will not be responsible for my a..actions. I will kill her".

Amy is now finding herself continuously surprised at the intensity of emotions that both her bestie and Leonard are displaying. Even more so after Leonard tearfully defends Penny again.

'_That was mmm my faul..lt I was pushing her to make a commitment that she was not ready for'._

Penny after hearing that has her head in her hands and is visibly shaking due to her persistent crying. She then takes her head out of her hands.

"Amy please I beg you take me to Leonard, please pl.. ease p...lease" her sobbing is relentless.

After see how emotional Penny is getting Amy is now very emotional herself but she realises she must keep a clear head.

"Penny think about it you are not in the best state to see Leonard or to confront Priya. He is already very upset , seeing you like this will upset him even more. Is that what you want?"

Before Amy can respond she is again interrupted by Priya.

'_That is pathetic Leonard. I am glad that we have had this discussion because I now realise how deluded you are when it comes to that girl. My God she humiliated you, yet you still defend her. It goes without saying that our relationship is now over, not that it ever stood a chance with you constantly pining and unfavourably comparing me to the actress slash waitress who is your lost love.'_

Amy is once again startled by Priya's bluntness.

Penny is now hysterical. "Please ple..ase take me to Leonard. Look that bitch is calling him p...pathetic, he isn't p...pathetic, he is so s...sweet and s...selfless. If you are not going to take me I w...will go m..myself."

Penny is stumbling frantically searching for her car keys.

"No bestie look Priya is doing her best to humiliate Leonard and although he is upset he is still defending you. You going there will undermine that."

"Yes he is de... fending me but he is not defending himself. W.. why does he do always do that? He always put other people before h..himself".

Amy suddenly jumps when she hears Howard shout 'enough' to Priya. However she quickly realises that Howards intervention could help her persuade Penny to stay in the apartment.

"There you are Howard and Bernadette are there, they will help Leonard".

Penny however catches Amy off guard "Yes but it is my fault".

"What is your fault? Amy is puzzled.

"T..t he situation he finds himself that bitch diss..sing him and humiliating him". Penny starts to become tearful again

"How's that your fault?"

"I s..screwed up. Leonard's a great guy. Never should have b..broken up with him. If I had stayed with him he wouldn't have hooked up with that bitch he , he w..ould be with me and we would bot..h be ha..ppy"

Before she met Sheldon and the rest of her friends , Amy had lived a very sheltered life. As a result she had read about but never witnessed or experienced anything like the emotional turmoil she had seen tonight. Nearly everything that had been said and every reaction of Leonard and Penny had caught her by surprise.

Despite this Penny's latest revelation had not only left her surprised but astounded. As Amy had only known them both for a relatively short period of time she had never seen Leonard and Penny as a couple. Even before the now infamous _truth or dare_ game, during their inaugural girls night, Amy had watched both Leonard and Penny hang around and interact with each other. This led her to conclude that Penny, at the very least, still had very strong feelings for Leonard. However what she also was certain of, especially after that game of _truth or dare_, was that this was something that Penny would never admit to. So to hear Penny open up and reveal her true feelings, even whilst drunk, was for Amy astonishing.

She was also feeling slightly jealous. Although Sheldon and her had recently danced and kissed (events she had only very vague memories of due to being drunk) they decided they were still more comfortable remaining as boy/friend girl/friend. Even if they took their relationship to, not even the next stage, but the next several stages she could never envisage her or Sheldon displaying the same level of emotional intensity for each other as Leonard and Penny.

While she is absorbed in these thoughts she initially fails to realise that Penny has grabbed hold of her 'phone, on the media centre near the speakers

"Penny what are you doing?"

Penny doesn't answer because she is fiddling about with the mute button. Amy realises this and tries to retrieve the 'phone back.

However Penny is still very strong even when drunk and keeps the 'phone. She then proceeds to shout. "Leonard Hofstadter don't you dare blame yourself".

What Penny doesn't realise is that in her struggle with Amy that she had accidentally pressed the volume button and reduced the noise level to low on the I-Phone. This had the effect of greatly diminishing the ability of her friends and Priya to hear what she had shouted.

"Why does he always do that? He will take the blame for something even when it's not his fault". Penny was trying to justify her outburst.

"At least he is leaving her place now. I'm gonna wait for him and give him a big hug, 5 Mississippi's at least". She was now giggling again thinking about this hug.

However her mood changes once more when she hears Priya say, '_Leonard wait'._

"What now"? both Penny and Amy cry in unison.

.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry numbersense I wasn't trying to ignore you. As you can tell this is a Lenny centric story and I have no plans to include Sheldon or Raj in it. However I do feel slightly guilty because I do like Sheldon and I don't think you can have a TBBT story without Sheldon being either referenced or included. I do have an idea for another Lenny story in which I hope to include Sheldon as the central protagonist. Please post comments on the story, thank you for those who already have. I of course do not own any of these characters.**

Raj's apartment

"Leonard wait"

"Oh damn, stupid 'phone" Everyone turned around to look at Bernadette.

Bernadette looked rather sheepish. "Sorry my phone's battery has died". Although nobody said anything she could tell by the look on Leonard's, Priya's and even Howard's face that it was probably not the most appropriate thing to say in this moment of high tension.

Leonard walked back into Raj's apartment and towards Priya. As he got closer to her he was shocked to realise that there were tears in her eyes. He had been dating her for quite a while but had never seen any kind of real emotion from her , but today he had seen her angry and now he was seeing her becoming upset. Over the years whenever Penny cried he would feel an overwhelming desire to comfort and protect her. With Priya he felt very guilty as he thought he was the cause of her anguish but he did not feel the same overwhelming need to comfort her. This surprised him somewhat, which in itself led him to feel guiltier.

He was just about to say something but Priya beat him to it."Bernadette and Howard I am sorry and I know there is an irony here as you have heard nothing but Leonard and I fight for the last half an hour, but can I ask for some privacy?"

Bernadette and Howard were conflicted they didn't want to stay at a place they were not wanted but they also thought they needed to help and protect their friend.

Priya sensed their dilemma. "Don't worry I am not going to be arguing with him anymore. I need to tell him something and hopefully he will feel better and we can part more amicably".

Leonard was confused but nevertheless he was supportive of her request. "Please guys, do what she has said. I am grateful for your support, but I've got this. I will ring you later when I'm home.

"No buddy you are not driving home in this condition. Toss me your keys; I'll wait for you in your car. Once you have finished here I'll drop you off and Bernie will follow us". Howard looked at Bernadette who nodded her approval.

"Ok thanks guys". Leonard gave Howard his keys.

Howard and Bernadette then left Raj's apartment.

Leonard looked at Priya. "Priya once again I'm sorry I didn't mean to hurt you but I've clearly got some unresolved issues".'

"You have, but so have I. I know this is a confusing thing to say considering what has just happened but I am not mad at you. I am angry with myself". Priya was now speaking quite softly, more akin to her normal voice. Her anger now seemed to have dissipated.

Leonard on the other hand looked as perplexed as Priya had anticipated. "Let me explain. Before I came here to The U.S., I had ended a relationship with a guy called Sanjay. However even after a few months despite us being broken up, I still found myself still frequently thinking about him".

"Ok" Leonard was unexpectedly anxious about what was coming next.

"That's one of the reasons why when I came here a few months ago I didn't want to get serious with you after we had slept together. I didn't think it was fair to pursue a relationship with anybody until I had resolved my feelings for Sanjay. I went back to India and became even more confused. It was like I didn't want to reconcile with him because I didn't think it would work for him and I as a couple, but I still found it difficult to move on. I was glad when I came back here because it was a distraction. You then came to see me on that first night. We talked and I thought the answer to my confusion was to allow myself to have a relationship with you. After all I was attracted to you and you are a nice guy and although I didn't want to rush things I thought let's see where things take us".

Leonard was listening but he was also thinking about how familiar some of this sounded especially the bit about not being able to move on.

Priya's explanation was still in full flow.

"However after the initial euphoria, that comes with a new relationship subsided, I still found myself thinking about Sanjay. I confess that we still had contact with each other via text and Facebook but at that stage it was just friendly chat".

A scowl started to form on Leonard's face after he hears the words 'at that stage'.

The monologue continued. "Although nothing inappropriate was being said I did feel guilty, even messaging him, because you and I were supposed to be dating. So I stopped doing it and channelled any romantic and sexual feelings exclusively towards you. However thinking about this, in retrospect, part of me resented having to do that. That is why I asked you to stop hanging around with Penny".

Leonard indicated that he was puzzled.

Priya saw this. "I have actually had a bit of an epiphany, do you remember when we went shopping for a new wardrobe for you, and then we came back to your flat and Penny was there sat with Howard?

Leonard nodded. "We then went in your room and it is then I asked you to stop hanging out with Penny"

Leonard carries on nodding but with his head down as he remembered how desolate he felt about the prospect of distancing himself from Penny.

"I remember feeling so much resentment for Penny being at your flat. I now realise that was because subconsciously I had been thinking about Sanjay. The thing that I think had triggered this was our actual shopping trip".

Leonard's confusion continued but he let Priya carry on her explanation.

"You dress in a certain way, you prefer to wear hoodies, t-shirts, jeans, corduroy pants and them Converse trainers, oh sorry I forgot you Americans call them sneakers. Anyhow by buying you a whole new set of clothes I thought I was helping you to become more stylish. Bernadette was right however I wasn't trying to change your style I was trying to turn you into somebody else. I was trying to change you into Sanjay. The clothes we bought are the type of clothes he wears, contact lenses is something he wears as well. Like I said I wasn't consciously doing it. Nevertheless I do feel the need to apologise. I'm sorry Leonard".

Leonard was not altogether surprised at what he was being told. He always believed that he was not good enough for anybody that he dated and Priya's admitting that she was more or less pining for somebody else, while going out with him, played into this insecurity.

"It's ok Priya, as you said you weren't doing it knowingly".

Priya continued. "Thank you Leonard. Anyhow so thinking about Sanjay and then seeing Penny at your apartment made me think that in order to progress our relationship I had made a sacrifice by cutting off all ties with him but you hadn't reciprocated. I knew by the way you looked at her that you still had feelings for Penny. So I suddenly felt a deep resentment towards her as she was still part of your life and hanging around your apartment. Whereas I was engaged in cutting all ties with Sanjay. This meant that, from my point of view, you were not taking our relationship as seriously as I was. I needed to know the depth of your commitment that is why I asked you to stop seeing Penny. Of course you weren't able to do that".

Leonard's guilt was again at the forefront. "I am really sorry Priya"

"No Leonard, let me finish as I said you couldn't stop seeing Penny and I confess about three days after I asked you to stop seeing her I reinitiated contact with Sanjay as well."

Leonard raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"That is why I'm upset and angry at myself. I'm really sorry Leonard, today I've given you such a hard time over Penny yet I have been contacting my ex-boyfriend as well".

Leonard did feel a degree of relief after hearing Priya's confession. He wasn't angry and was instead in a magnanimous mood. "Look Priya there is no need to get angry and upset with yourself. Yes I do feel slightly aggrieved with you about you giving me such a hard time before, but look neither of us cheated. We both have unresolved feelings about our exes".

"Actually Leonard" Priya's voice suddenly becomes. softer as she avoided eye contact with Leonard."Sanjay and have been actually been sexting each other and sharing intimate photographs, if you understand what I mean. I had resolved to go back to India even if you and I had carried on dating. I would have then ended up fully cheating on you with him .I'm really really sorry. However I believe inevitably you would have done the same with Penny"

Leonard was now furious "No I wouldn't have. In any case Penny does not break up couples, she ISN'T a cheater. She also does not have them sort of feelings towards me anymore"

_You've never been very good at understanding women. She has feelings for you; you can tell by the way she looks at you. _Priya was going to tell Leonard what she was thinking. However although she anticipated Leonard getting angry after her revelation what she didn't expect or like was his continuing vehement defence of Penny. Although it was irrational she still resented Penny maybe because of the condescending way she was treated by Penny's friends especially Amy. So she decided, mainly out of spite, that she wasn't going to contribute even in a small way to her and Leonard reuniting as a couple .After Leonard's passionate advocacy of Penny Priya became defensive.

"So, I guess we both messed up a little."

"No, no, I messed up a little. You messed up a lot." Leonard was still angry.

"Well, it's not a competition."

"Oh yeah, it is, and you won. I, I, I'm, I'm sorry, I have to go. I don't believe this. Despite everything I wish you all the best Priya" Leonard left Raj's apartment. Once he was outside he stood still and overwhelmed by emotion he cried like he had never cried before.


	4. Chapter 4

A**s I stated in a previous chapter this was supposed to be a one-shot. Now not only has story expanded but it has taken me down a different track then I had planned. I apologise for the lack of action in this chapter but I felt I needed to explain Amy's motivation for any later actions. Please keep the comments coming thank am I the only who sees a similarity between The Lenny romance and the romance between Dr Sturgis and Meemaw in YS?I of course don't own any of these characters.**

Apartment 4B

"What now"! both Penny and Amy cry in unison. They both look at each other with a puzzled expression.

"Hold on why is there no sound coming from the speakers? Bernadette's hung up the 'phone. Let me ring her."

Amy proceeded to dial

"C'mon Bernie pick up" Penny is losing patience.

"No it has gone straight to answer 'phone. She is either blocking us or her 'phone battery has drained. It is probably the latter".

" I bet that bitch is trying to get him back. She has humiliated him now she will manipulate his guilty feelings to get him to stay with her. Leonard you better not take her back, she is no good for you. She is mean to him and makes fun of him" Penny is again justifying her outburst to Amy.

Amy is listening to her but does not immediately respond, although she has little to no experience in relationships she does believe that after what has transpired that it was unlikely that Leonard would reconcile with Priya. What she was more concerned about was the emotional state of her bestie.

Ever since she started "dating" Sheldon Amy was prone to reflect on how far she had come socially. As well as actually having a "boyfriend "she was also friends with Bernadette and Penny. She had dreamed about but never thought that she would actually have any friends. It didn't end there as well as having a "boyfriend", and friends she was also part of a wider social grouping. Of course it was as a result of being a part of this social grouping that led her to become friends with Penny.

Due to the way that she was brought up especially by her mother she had always suffered from low self esteem especially when it came to her looks and social skills. That is why in high school she had admired and envied girls like Penny the "hot" girls. The girls who because of their looks and social skills were at the top of the social hierarchy at school. The world that these girls inhabited, the world of dressing up, going to parties, drinking, dancing and going out with equally "hot" and good looking boys was something Amy could only fantasise being part of.

Now solely because of Penny she had, albeit as an adult, been given access to this world and was with relish actually fulfilling some of these high school and college fantasies. There were times however when she thought that this was all too good to be true which would lead her to wander why somebody like Penny would be friends with somebody like her.

After all as much as there had been envy and admiration for girls like Penny there has been a lot of pain and anguish. Those girls had bullied her not physically but emotionally. They would mock her sometimes to her face,sometimes behind her back when they thought she wasn't listening. Worst of all they would completely ignore and exclude her. The mocking, the exclusion, the bullying shattered her already fragile self esteem.

As a result she withdrew further into herself and in public at least repressed all her emotions. She focused all her energies on her studies and in her spare time found an outlet for her emotions by immersing herself in tv programmes like Little House on the Prairie and classic romantic novels like Pride and Prejudice. This of course had the effect of making her realise how lonely she actually was which would further fuel her fantasies.

However before she got too overwhelmed with fear about losing her she had realised that actually unlike those other girls she had known, Penny was different. She was the odd one out of their social group , she wasn't a scientist, she didn't have a doctorate, she didn't have a degree, she didn't even finish college. At school she was the popular cheerleader and the rest of them including Leonard were the picked on and bullied nerds. Their paths should never had crossed yet there she was as vital a part of their social circle as the group's acknowledged leader (even by Sheldon)Leonard. The self labelled nerds had all in some way ,even in some cases if it was only slightly, come out of the bubbles they had constructed for themselves all because of Penny being in their lives as their friend.

Amy believed that it was not an exaggeration to think that they all owed Penny more than they could ever repay. During these times of reflection she would sometimes get lost in her admiration of Penny. An admiration which she often expressed (sometimes to Penny's great embarrassment) in the form of sexual innuendo indicating that she had some form of girly crush or infatuation with her.

Amy had also vowed to herself if Penny was ever in serious trouble, emotional or otherwise, she would move "heaven and earth" to help her. She now believed that moment had arrived. She needed to reunite her bestie with her lost love, the man who, in Amy's opinion at least, was probably Penny's soul mate. She knew what she had to do. She had her phone in her hand and she surreptitiously placed it on Penny's media centre. She had put it into video record mode and had strategically located the phone so that it was recording Penny.

Thanks to the alcohol Penny had been more open about her feelings than Amy had ever known, she knew that for her plan to work she needed to get her to open up even further. In order to do this she needed to be slightly devious and employ reverse psychology.

"You're right bestie she is mean to him but you know what a pushover he is. She will flutter her eyelids at him and he will go running back to her".

"He is not a pushover he is sweet and loving and some women take advantage of that. I had warned him that there are a lot of bitches out there". Penny sounded sorrowful although she was having difficulty even remaining seated due to the amount she had drunk.

"No bestie, he is a pushover. I'm surprised you don't see it. After all you dated him you know what he is like. Sheldon actually said to me that everyone understands why you dumped him, the real mystery is why you went out with him in the first place".

Normally Penny would have been furious to have heard something like that about her relationship with Leonard but she was now too drunk to be angry but she still winced when she heard Amy use the word dumped to describe their breakup. This also made her feel incredibly protective of Leonard which was reflected in her response.

"I went out with him because he's great. If I kept going out with him I probably would have married him and it's a little scary because I don't think I'm ready for that. you know. Plus I have got to learn how to spell "Hofstadter". Oh Ames what do I do?"

It had been a night full of revelations but this one genuinely left Amy open mouthed. She had never contemplated the fact that Penny had even entertained the thought of marriage to anyone. This made her further realise how deep Penny's feelings for Leonard actually were.

However before she could dwell on this she saw that Penny was trying to lie down on her couch. She was currently precariously on the edge of it and was trying to place her head on the arm of the couch to use as a pillow. However Amy saw, that due to her intoxication, the head was going to actually miss the arm and she was going to end up hitting it on the floor. Amy quickly made her way towards Penny ,and just in time catches her head in her left hand. She then uses her right hand and arm to lever her back towards the couch.

Penny is now sleeping in a foetal position and softly snoring. Amy goes into the bedroom and gets a blanket and puts it on her. She then realises that Penny is still quite near the edge of the couch and so she moves her away from the edge and towards the back. She however momentarily jumps when she hears Penny, who without any warning, starts talking in her sleep.

"Leonard honey why are you so late, I've gone to bed"

However as suddenly as it started the talking stopped and the snoring restarted prompted Amy to walk towards the media centre and stop the recording on her 'phone. She then walked towards the kitchen island to rest her elbows on the surface and her chin in her hands all the while flashing what could be described as a sly and enigmatic smile.


	5. Chapter 5

**Apologies for the delay in submitting this chapter and for it being longer than I planned. The delay was due to life taking over. Please leave comments. **

Outside Raj's apartment

Leonard was walking towards his car. Luckily he had some tissues in his pocket and managed to wipe away the tears from when he had cried after he left Raj's apartment. However his eyes were still red and puffy.

Howard, as he had promised,was waiting for him in the car. He noticed Leonard's eyes."Buddy are you ok?"

"I'm better now. I just got a bit upset after talking to Priya".

"I wished we had stayed, the only reason we left was because she said she wasn't going to fight with you."Howard was slightly angered.

"She didn't fight with me. She actually sort of apologised to me. She had given me a grilling about my keeping in touch with Penny but she had been doing the same thing and had also been in contact with her ex-boyfriend. In fact although she said she didn't cheat, well he is in India, they had been sexting each other and sharing intimate photographs".

"The hypocritical bitch, I know she is Raj's sister but my God she gave you such a hard time over you contacting Penny, yet she is there virtually having cyber sex with Mr Chicken Tikka Masala."

Leonard was slightly shocked."Howard firstly that sounds incredibly racist, but secondly getting back to the main point you have to remember as you said that I was also keeping in touch with Penny, despite telling Priya that I wouldn't."

Howard was getting exasperated. "Will you stop defending her. There is a world of difference between you trying to remain friends with Penny and Priya doing the dirty or the virtual dirty with The Bombay bad boy. You didn't cheat with Penny, well Priya didn't technically cheat either, but if her ex-boyfriend had been in proximity like Penny was she would have cheated, do you doubt that"?

eonard was surprised by Howard's foresight."No she told me that she was going back to India and that inevitably she would have ended up hooking up with him. You're right Howard I need to stop defending her. The thing is we didn't part on the best of terms anyhow . She tried to justify her actions by saying that we both messed up. I told her that I messed up a little but she had messed up a lot".

"I'm proud of you buddy".

" Thank you both for that and for you and Bernadette defending me in there when she was tearing strips of me.I probably wouldn't have got through that without you"

Howard was feeling slightly embarrassed. "Look we're your friends and we would not let any of our friends be treated like that"

"I'm grateful for that .You know if it had been Sheldon with me in the apartment he probably would have joined in with Priya. Maybe not actually,because he doesn't like her. Anyhow talking about Dr I'm not crazy my mother had me tested let's get home before it gets too late. If he wakes up it'll take me all night to get him settled". Both Leonard and Howard started reminded of Sheldon's eccentricities and the fact that he was a grown man who often acted like a petulant child had the effect of lightening the mood in the car.

However for all of the car journey they both remained quiet. Howard pulled up in the car park outside Leonard's apartment. He was just about to hand over Leonard's keys and then go back to his own car ,which was behind them and being driven by Bernadette, when he was startled by a tap on the car window.

It was actually Bernadette who was knocking on the window. Howard wound down the electric window"Howie I'm just going to check on Penny".

Howard was slightly concerned. "Why what is wrong with her?"

"No nothing her and Amy had a girls night".

"Oh ok but what if there is somebody in the apartment with her?

Momentarily forgetting that Leonard was with him Howard proceeds to follow up. "What if she has hooked up with somebody? She won't like you invading her privacy, like that?"

Bernadette scowls at her husband. "You jackass, the only person in the apartment with her is Amy. They didn't go out.I've just spoken to Amy that's why I am going there now"

Howard looked rather sheepish. "Ok don't be too long. Love you."Bernadette continued to scowl at him before making her way towards the apartment building.

Howard looks at Leonard and rolls his eyes "Women heh". He then realises that his friend is in tears again although he is clearly attempting to suppress them.

" She is not worth it pal she was clearly stringing you along until she could get back with that guy in India. Let's be honest buddy you're clearly not over Penny either"

Leonard is again taken aback by his friend's insight.

" You're rr.. ight I'm not over Penny that is why I'm emotional."

Howard has a puzzled expression on his face. Leonard tries to explain.

"I'm still in love with her buddy. Do you remember when we first met that guy Zack, the day when we bounced the laser beam of the moon and I told you that she came to my apartment and we ended up sleeping together?"

Howard nodded.

"Before we hooked up she called me a rat-bastard and said I had ruined Zack for her because she had lost the ability to tolerate idiots. Well guess what, she has ruined every woman in the world for me.

Howard intervened."A bit of an exaggeration there".

"No not really, honestly I thought Priya was my big chance to move on. I have been pining for Penny ever since we broke up. I thought when we slept together after the lunar experiment that we were going to get back together but she said it was a mistake. Remember that conference at Big Sur you know what happened there and I know Raj had a part in scuppering anything from taking place . However you remember hearing what she said at the actual conference about it being a one time thing and then she went back home with that huge ex-boyfriend of Bernadette's. What was he called?"

Howard winces."Glenn;trust me pal you don't want to go there, he is still a sore point between me and Bernie. That whole conference is one that will live long in the memory, for all the wrong reasons."

"Tell me about it I was so mad at what happened between me and Penny that I didn't even realise that I was doing one hundred and twenty miles per hour when I was driving on the way back and I got pulled over by the Police."

"I know Sheldon moaned about it for days afterwards." Howard was shaking his head at the memory.

Leonard continued. " This prompted me after we got home to sit down and as I could to rationalise the situation between Penny and me.

I pursued her for nearly two years before we started dating. We went out for eight months before we broke up at the bowling alley . The reason that we broke up was because I told her that I loved her and she couldn't say it back. The reason she couldn't say it back was either because I had shown a level of commitment and intensity that she wasn't ready for or alternatively she didn't and was never likely to feel the same way about me as I did about her. I hoped against hope that it was the first option but deep down I always felt it was the second option. In fact after thinking it about it even more I reasoned that there was an overlap between the two options."

"You'll have to explain that to me" Howard genuinely didn't understand.

"Well think of it this way Penny and I were dating for eight months."Leonard was getting emotional again.

"I...t was the happiest time of my life. I thought she was happy too, both physically and emotionally, and I therefore thought it was the natural for me take it to the next level and explain how I felt about her. The truth is I had loved her from the first moment I saw her so when she didn't say it back to me I told her I would wait for her to as in my head I had been in this relationship two years longer than her. The fact that she dumped me shortly afterwards indicated either that she was either scared of or not willing to make that level of commitment to the relationship. I thought about the day we first met her. Do you remember?"

"Her coming out of that shower and then us seeing her topless in that Serial Apeist movie, who can forget" Howard was smiling.

However he became a bit coy when he realised that Leonard was glaring at him.

"Sorry you know I can be an idiot sometimes, pray continue".

"Anyhow before you and Raj came over that day and before she stepped in to the shower she obviously introduced herself. She told us about Kurt, you remember Kurt?"

Howard holds his right hand above his head.

Leonard nods in the affirmative. "Yes him, well she told us that she fell in love with him, lived with him for four years and how despite the fact that he had cheated on her she still loved him. Remembering all this made me realise that she didn't have a problem with revealing her feelings or with commitment. The issue was that she in all likelihood had a problem with committing to me. The most likely and probable reason for that is because she doesn't love me."

"Look buddy I'm not psychic, I can't read her mind but I know from talking to Bernie that Penny cares about you a lot"

Leonard shakes his head in disagreement."She probably does but that isn't enough anymore. It was after coming to these conclusions that I really resolved to move on. I would try and remain friends with Penny if I could but I would really try and find a girl that felt the same way about me as I did about her. Of course that didn't happen when I invoked the girlfriend pact with you and Bernadette set me up with that friend of hers, Joy."

"I know Bernie fixed her up for you , but she was completely not your type" Howard was feeling guilty.

"I know that but even if she had been it wouldn't have gone anywhere as I was still pining for Penny. It was once I decided to move on that coincidentally Priya came back to Pasadena. Unlike Joy Priya did tick all the boxes she was smart, beautiful and we were both attracted to each other. As I said to you before I really thought that she would be the one that would allow me to move on from Penny. I was envisaging a future with her but it turned out to be an illusion".

"Yes you now know that is not all on you, we have just established she was still pining for her ex" Howard was trying to help his friend.

"Yes I know that now but the point is even if that Sanjay or whatever his name hadn't been a factor the relationship it still would have been doomed because despite what the conscious part of my brain is telling me in my subconscious I know I am still in love with Penny. Priya made me realise that and she's right you know I am pathetic."

Howard looks at Leonard with sympathy. "You're not pathetic, sometimes the heart wants what it wants"

"That maybe the case for me but Penny's heart doesn't want me. I thought I had accepted that,but obviously not. I am not sure what to do anymore because the only solution that I am coming up with is for me to move not only from my apartment but from both Pasadena and California as well."

Howard was concerned. "What would that achieve?"

" I think in order for me to be able to move on from my feelings about her I need to be as far as away as possible from Penny."

"So you're just going to leave your life here? You're a respected academic who works for one of the world's great universities, you live just outside one of the world's major cities. More importantly you have a group of friends who love and respect you including Penny. Look pal I don't know how she feels about you romantically but I know she cares for you as a friend and she would be devastated if you left especially if she knew the reason why." Howard was almost pleading.

"I am thinking about her as well. She can find some one she can love without me there making her feel guilty"

Howard is confused. "Why would you being there make her feel guilty?"

"Do you remember the New Year's Eve party at the comic-book store?"

"Of course I remember it . It was only five months ago and for the first time,in like ever, we won the costume contest and that was because you persuaded Penny to come as Wonder Woman"

"It got to midnight and guess where I was, right behind Penny and Zack. Zack started kissing Penny. Penny started kissing him back but the kiss became awkward because she saw me looking at her. I didn't mean to stare but they were in my eye line. I wish they weren't because at that moment I felt like somebody had ripped my guts out. I hadn't felt that bad since Penny and I broke up at the bowling alley. I just wanted the ground to swallow me up."

"That must have been tough buddy" Howard was finding it easy to empathise with Leonard especially because they had spoken about Glenn a few minutes previously and the memory of the jealousy he felt for his fiancée's former beau was still raw.

"The thing that got to me though was the look that Penny gave me when she saw me, she was feeling so guilty"

"What made you think that it was a look of guilt"?

"What else could it be? It wasn't a look of longing. It couldn't have been, we have already established she doesn't love me".

"No you have established that in your own mind. You're wrong anyhow you were until an hour ago dating Priya, from Penny's perspective you moved on so why should she feel guilty?"

Leonard was insistent."In the nearly four years that we have known her this is only the second time that she has gone this long without hooking up with anyone. The first time was after I had that first date with her and she didn't sleep with anyone for six months. However the circumstances were different then".

Howard looked puzzled "I really don't know what you are talking about"

Leonard continued "Do you remember when Penny became addicted to Age of Conan?"

Howard nodded.

"Well Sheldon hypothesised that this was because she hadn't had sex for six months".

Howard pulled his face "How would he know?"

"She told him. The point is that after that first date with her she didn't sleep with anyone for nearly eight months. This was despite the fact that I was not only dating but had slept with Leslie Winkle. At that point in time I admit Penny and I were both attracted to each other but were having a hard time admitting this and we tried unsuccessfully to date other people. Penny even tried dating Stuart but then called out my name when they were making out."

Howard tried to suppress his laughter

"So what you are saying is that Penny didn't sleep with anyone for eight months because she was attracted to you?"

"Yes this is not about boosting my ego, the point I am trying to make is about Penny's pattern of behaviour when it comes to me. She was attracted to me, but despite this not only could we not get it together with each other but she couldn't get it together with anyone else either."

"Ok fine say I agree with your theory, from what Bernie tells me she hasn't hooked up with anybody since Zack and last time we saw him was, as you said was New Years, nearly six months go. So for six months she hasn't had sex because of her attraction to you".

"No you've not been listening, well yes thinking about it as rationally as I could I can't deny that we are still attracted to each other but that is what is driving her guilt. She is still attracted to me but can't commit to me because she doesn't love me. Having me as her neighbour and seeing me everyday compounds that guilt, so she is finding it difficult to hook up with anyone else. As I said she nneed..ss to find somebody that she can ll..ovve. In order for her to do that I need to gg..go. You know the old saying if you love somebody you let them gg..go" Leonard is getting upset again.

"Look buddy I really believe you have been overanalysing this situation. I also think you and Penny need to speak to each other about your feelings,but neither of you will. I really I wish I could fix this for both of you but I can't. It has been a very emotional day for you and you're not thinking straight. All I ask is that you don't make any rash decisions. Have a few early nights, don't think about the situation too much, distract yourself and let some time pass. If you do that things will seem clearer".

Leonard nodded. "Maybe".

He then saw Bernadette coming towards his car and he quickly composed borrowed some tissues from Howard and wiped his eyes.

"Right I better go. Howard please don't say anything to Bernadette about this conversation. I don't want Penny to know and get upset".

Howard didn't speak but moved his head slightly, making a nodding like gesture. He knew that Bernadette would ask him about what he and Leonard had talked about and although he would make an attempt to not reveal anything she would very quickly compel him to open up. He therefore didn't really want to make a promise to Leonard that he couldn't keep so he kept the interaction non verbal.

Both Howard and Leonard left the car at the same time. Howard handed over the car keys to Leonard who then proceeded to lock the car and head towards the entrance of his apartment block.

Bernadette is walking towards him. "Hi sweetheart, are you feeling better?"

Leonard answers her by giving a false smile. " I am thank you, by the way thanks also for your help at Raj's apartment"

Bernadette then suddenly puts her arms around him and hugs Leonard. "Me and Howie will always be there for you. I promise things will get better"

Leonard repeats himself. "Thank you".

They then let go of each other and Leonard makes his way up the three flight of stairs to the fourth floor. He has a rye smile on his face when he glances at apartment 4b. He then gently opens the door to his apartment and slowly makes his way to his bedroom so as not to wake up Sheldon.

Once in the bedroom he stripped down to his underwear and laid down on top of the bedding. He was tired after an exhausting day emotionally, however his mind was still racing and he couldn't get to sleep. After tossing and turning for what seemed an eternity he got up to open to switch on his laptop.

He whispered to himself "Sorry Howard but I think this is for the best. He then starts composing an e-mail to a long standing friend.

_Zahid_

_Hope you are well. I am sorry it's been a few weeks since our last conversation, when you came to Caltech. With both our schedules it is difficult to keep in touch. However that is not likely to be a problem anymore as I have changed my mind on the offer you made me when you were here._

_If you still want me I would like to join your research group on Weyl fermions. I really think if we can find evidence of their existence then we could potentially change the world. _

_The only potential issue that remains is whether Caltech will release me permanently or whether I will have to be seconded to Princeton. I would prefer the former as I have no intention of returning to California. _

_Yes before you ask I have broken up with the girl from India, so there is nothing left for me here so I can commit to however long it will take to complete the research._

_I just have a few loose ends to tie up here, so assuming, as I said previously, that the offer is still valid I could be in New Jersey in 3 days time._

_Look forward to hearing from you._

_Many thanks _

_Leonard_

After writing the e-mail Leonard paused. He was hesitating to press send. He walked back and forth in his bedroom and attempted to send the e-mail at least four times before he gritted his teeth and finally sent the e-mail.

He then went back into bed and laid on his stomach and let the silent tears be absorbed by his pillow.


	6. Chapter 6

**This chapter is again longer than planned.I have managed to get Sheldon into the story.I Of course don't own any of the characters. Please leave reviews. **

Apartment 4b

Penny is momentarily startled until she realises that she is sleeping in her own bed, alone. She however is suffering from an agonising hangover induced headache and doesn't want to get up. She looks at the time and sees it is eleven thirty in the morning. She suddenly feels the urgent need to pee and crawls out of her bed on to the floor before she makes the effort to stand up to go to the bathroom. After answering the call of nature she opens her bathroom and gets two tablets of Excedrin Extra Strength. She leaves the bathroom with the two tablets to go to the kitchen to get a glass of water. She then realises that there is a glass of water on her nightstand in the bedroom and is about to make her way there but then gleans that somebody is stood in her kitchen island. She momentarily stops and looks to see that it is Amy.

"Good morning bestie, how are you feeling?"

"Like I wanna die, what are you doing here?"

" I spent the night here, don't you remember we had a girls night just you and me; whilst Bernadette was at Raj's apartment with Leonard and Priya".

Penny gives Amy a confused look but she does start to remember shouting at a speaker but the memory is still blurry but before she has time to dwell into it she becomes nauseated and runs into the bathroom. Amy realises what is going on and runs in after her.

Penny is on the floor of the bathroom with her elbows on the toilet bowl. She has already vomited once and is about to do it again. Amy grabs hold of her hair and rubs her back to allow as much of the vomit to be expelled as possible. Amy's actions remind Penny of when she was dating Leonard and how he used to look after her in the same way when she had been drunk. This had the effect of resurrecting some more of her memory about what had happened the previous night. She knew she had been listening ,through her Bluetooth speaker, to an argument between Priya and Leonard. She however lacked the energy to engage in any deeper thought about it as all she wanted to do was to have a shower and some coffee.

Amy anticipated what she was thinking.

"Penny let's clean up in here then you get a shower, I'll make you some breakfast. What do you fancy?"

"Just coffee please"

"C'mon you need more than coffee. How about I make you some toast with honey?"

"I really can't face it"

"You have to eat something" Amy was insistent.

"Ok I'll try the toast"

Both friends then cleaned up the bathroom. Penny then went into her bedroom to pick up a clean set of clothes and then proceeded to have her shower.

Amy as promised has made her coffee and toast and also insisted that Penny have two glasses of water beforehand with the Excedrin.

Penny was both hungry and thirsty not only did she wolf down her breakfast but she ate in silence whilst Amy sat on the couch looking at her 'phone.

"OH MY GOD Leonard didn't get back together with Priya after the way she humiliated him last night".

Penny's loud and sudden resumption of conversation after the prolonged period of silence made Amy jump."No he didn't bestie"

"How do you know?"

"Bernadette told me"

"When did you speak to her?"

"She came over last night after you had fallen asleep on the couch. She helped me move you to your bedroom and change you into your pyjamas"

"Oh ok, thank you for that. I'll thank Bernie as well when I see her."

" Well that might be sooner than you think as none of us are working today she wants to come over and update us on what happened at Raj's apartment last night after her 'phone battery went dead . She told me to ring her after you woke up so we can arrange a time to meet up."

Penny was still very tired and wasn't ready at that stage of the day to handle any emotional turmoil.

"Do you mind if I go back to sleep for a bit and we meet up here at four o'clock? We will have a late lunch I'll order some pizza."

"That works for me. I'll just text Bernadette." Amy waits for the response to the text from Bernadette,which arrives after two minutes.

"Ok Bernadette says that is fine. Right bestie I'm going home. I'll see you at four."

"Yeah see you then" Penny goes to her bedroom and is asleep within a few minutes.

Later in the day apartment 4b

Penny is suddenly woken up by somebody knocking on her door. She looks at the clock and realises it is four o'clock in the afternoon She gets up and goes to answer the door.

"Oh crap" she remembers that she has plans with Amy and Bernadette.

She quickly opens the door.

"Have you only just got up?" Bernadette tried to sound surprised.

"No; well yeah actually"

Both Bernadette and Amy rolled their eyes and entered the apartment.

"I'm just gonna have a wash, we'll then order some lunch, you girls want some wine?"

"Isn't it a bit early for that and didn't you have enough to drink last night ? You should give your body at least forty eight hours to recover". Amy had been concerned about her friends drinking for a while now.

"Fine we'll just have some juice" Penny tried to sound not to disappointed.

"I need to have a clear head or I won't be able to remember everything that happened yesterday. So I think that would be for the best". Bernadette was also worried about Penny's drinking and supporting the consensus about not having any alcohol that Amy had initiated.

Amy has an idea. "Why don't you get your ablutions done and we will order the food. A large vegetarian pizza and two portions of waffle fries should be enough, shouldn't they?

Penny nodded and went into the bathroom and made a mental note to herself to look up what the word ablutions meant.

She came out about twenty five minutes later to raised voices.

"How dare you talk about my fiancée and his friends like that, if it weren't for Howard, Leonard and Raj, your boyfriend would be even more socially inept than he is already and you would never have met him." Bernadette was grimacing.

"Sheldon is a genius he doesn't need anybody he can survive on his own".

" Of course he could that is why he relies on Leonard to drive him everywhere" Bernadette's natural tendency for sarcasm was coming to the fore.

"Leonard enjoys doing it, it gives meaning to his life"

"You really need to stop spending time with Sheldon you're starting to sound just like him."

"Well I'm proud of that, as I said to you my boyfriend is a genius".

"He is also a giant anal nut bag" Bernadette was now using Howard's phraseology to describe Sheldon.

"What the hell, I go away for a few minutes and you are at each other's throats". Penny is exasperated

"She started it" both Amy and Bernadette say in unison.

However before their argument gets a chance to escalate further there is a knock on the door.

"The food is here, I'll go and get it" Penny is relieved as it leads to a period of silence.

Penny pays for the food and has her back turned and as a result fails to notice Amy and Bernadette winking at each other

"Right you two I want to be able to eat without you fighting like two cats in heat can we instead talk about what happened at Raj's apartment after we lost contact with Bernie". Penny is trying to restore a semblance of harmony with her friends.

Both Amy and Bernadette nodded.

"Yeah so actually after my 'phone's battery died Priya asked me and Howie to leave as she wanted to talk to Leonard in private. We didn't want to leave because we thought that Priya was going to have a go at him again. She said she wasn't and Leonard told us that he would be ok"

Penny got slightly panicked "So if you weren't there how do you know what happened between them?"

Bernadette remained calm despite the interruption. "Well Howie did a sweet thing he told Leonard that he wasn't going to allow him to drive home on his own in the state of mind he was in. He took Leonard's keys and waited for him. When Leonard came out Howie and him talked"

"So what did Leonard tell him?" Penny was starting to get impatient.

"Priya sort of apologised to him."

Penny reacted "Quiet right too, he didn't deserve to be treated like that".

"Wait you haven't heard the best or actually the worst of it. Although before, when Howard and I were at Raj's apartment she really laid into Leonard for maintaining contact with you. She apparently confessed to him that she had also been maintaining contact with her ex-boyfriend and that is what she was apologising for".

Penny was now angry. "The hypocritical bitch"

"That's what Howie said and that isn't the worst of it though, she not only maintained contact with this ex but she was also sexting him and sharing explicit photographs. She then admitted that when she went back to India she would have cheated on Leonard with him".

Penny was now feeling tearful although she suppressed the urge to actually cry.

"My poor baby".Penny realised that she had said that louder than she intended.

"I mean poor Leonard" She quickly tried to backtrack but luckily Amy and Bernadette were ignoring both remarks.

"Obviously Leonard would not stay with her after that revelation and I think he did express his anger"

"Good on him" Penny was surprised at how happy she was, especially with what Bernadette said next.

"Well Leonard is single again". Bernadette out of sight of Penny then nodded to Amy.

Amy was ready."There you go again so what if he is single? What are you are implying?"

"I'm not implying anything" Bernadette knew how to respond.

"Yes you are, you are telling my bestie here that Leonard is available"

"It is just a statement of fact. Leonard is single".

"Look stop trying to make my bestie feel more guilty, just because you settled it doesn't mean that Penny should"

Penny was mystified by the argument that had restarted between her two friends but before she could say anything Bernadette had already responded.

"I resent the fact that you keep telling me that. Howie is a wonderful guy, he is sweet and kind and I love him".

"You have to say that you're marrying him. God knows why you could do so much better. You are an attractive girl, not in the same league as Penny, but there are so many better men out there for you. I remember that ex of yours Glenn, the most beautiful man I've ever seen. Why couldn't you make it work with him?"

"I never felt the same way about him as I feel about Howie. As a scientist I know I should be looking at these things rationally but I believe sometimes you are destined to be with a certain person, not necessarily the person you envisaged yourself being with when you were younger".

" That is all romantic nonsense with no basis in reality, to quote Sheldon it is malarkey. Don't try and deceive Penny with all this foolishness"

Penny is now getting angry and frustrated. "What are you talking about? What has your argument about Howard and Glenn got to do with me, and how is Bernie deceiving me?"

Amy explains. "Before you came out of the shower Bernadette and I were talking about what happened last night and how it was all so inevitable and how lucky Leonard and Howard actually are."

Penny was mystified "Lucky how?"

"Well they both dated and in the case of Howard are going to marry girls who are way above their league metaphorically."

Bernadette grimaced. Amy continued.

"Of course it can be argued that Howard's successful courtship of Bernadette led to Leonard having delusions of grandeur"

Penny was getting more puzzled. "Heh , I know you think you are clarifying things sweetie but you're really not"

"What I'm saying is that Leonard saw that if somebody like Howard is going to get married to somebody like Bernadette then he Leonard could probably getting himself serious with you or Priya."

Bernadette was still outwardly grimacing.

"Why how serious do you think Leonard was about Priya?" Penny's thoughts had diverted her away from the main thrust of Amy's arguments.

This irritated Amy. "Penny you're missing the point. To answer your question I do think Leonard was very serious about Priya I think he could see himself marrying and having children with her."

Although Priya and Leonard were now broken up Amy's answer saddened Penny.

She replied quietly the volume barely above a whisper.

"Really"

"Yes it's laughable isn't it? Somebody like you or Priya wanting to marry somebody like Leonard. I don't know who this ex boyfriend of Priya's was but I bet he was much more suitable for her than Leonard". Amy was doing her best to sound contemptuous.

"That's not nice Amy". Penny's levels of anger although under control had risen.

"Sorry bestie don't get me wrong I have grown to like Leonard but come on you dated him could you see somebody like you being in a serious relationship with somebody like him? Actually I know the answer. You told us when we played truth or dare that time, during my first sleepover ,you told us you dumped Leonard because he got too serious."

Penny was slightly taken aback by what what was being said but she didn't interrupt Amy.

" Leonard is very intelligent so how could he seriously think that he would tell you that he loved you and then expect you to reciprocate. At the very least he should have compared himself to your other boyfriends. I only met Zack and I know he came after Leonard but hoo and you did show me some photographs of some parties you both threw and attended and I saw a picture of what was his name Kurt dressed as Tarzan and also a picture of what was he called, Mike? All I can say is double hoo."

Like with a lot of things that Amy said Penny didn't know whether to laugh or just shake her head. However she could also feel that below the surface her anger was rising , poised to explode if Amy went too far.

Amy pressed on with her monologue.

"Look at them and then look at Leonard he is neither tall, nor muscular and let's face it he is not somebody who could ever take your breath away like Zack did for me. Sheldon once said to me everyone understands why you dumped Leonard, the real mystery is actually why you went out with him in the first place".

Amy had said the same thing to Penny last night whilst Penny was drunk so the impact of her words provoked honesty not fury but she was sober now . Her nostrils were flaring.

"I WENT OUT WITH HIM because he is GREAT. He is the best boyfriend EVER. He is smart and he is sweet."

"Oh c'mon bestie you know that isn't true. If it was, you would have fallen in love with him, the fact is you didn't. That is why you couldn't reciprocate when he told you he loved you. I bet you didn't have any hesitation telling Kurt and Mike that you loved them"

"You're right I didn't, well with Kurt I didn't anyhow, and guess what he turned out to be a cheating ASSHOLE in fact both of them were. Penny was still irate.

However Amy was being persistent."What about Zack?"

"What about him?"

"He didn't seem like ,in your words,an asshole"

"He isn't, he is a nice guy"

"Did you ever tell him you loved him?"

Penny screwed up her face. "Who Zack no. He is good to hang around with but he is so stupid, I couldn't fall in love with somebody like that not after having dated Leonard".

Penny's eye widened after she realised what she had just revealed.

"So you were never serious about Zack. If you were going to get serious with anybody it would have to be with somebody who was more like Leonard. So dating Leonard has had an impact on you and on your life choices?"

"Look despite what you think I've never denied that I have an attraction to Leonard" Penny was being honest

"That is the point I'm trying to make. Leonard is not only your closest male friend but he is somebody you are also attracted to and have dated. He is somebody who has stated in the past that he loves you and even now I would say he still worships the ground that you walk on, so to speak. Yet despite all this you don't seem to be able to love him back. This therefore makes you feel guilty and stops you from dating anybody else".

"What? I have dated Zack since I broke up with Leonard."

"Yes but you have just admitted you weren't serious about him."

"Yeah because he isn't the right person to get serious about, not because of any guilt I am supposed to have about Leonard".

Bernadette now believed it was the right time for her to intervene.

"Amy I agree with Penny that is crap. Despite what happened yesterday we know that Leonard was serious about Priya so we all thought he had moved on. Why would Penny feel guilty if we all thought he had found somebody else?"

Amy pretended to be stunned and for a few moments was quiet.

"You know you are right Bernadette. I really didn't think of that". Amy's tone of voice came across as "sing song" and not genuine which aroused Penny's suspicions.

"The thing that has thrown me is that you haven't dated anyone for nearly six months. I know we weren't there but I think the last time you dated anyone was when you took Zack to the comic book store on New Year's Eve. Then there was the other month when we went out clubbing and you said you would get a hiney to bite. Nobody's bottom was even grazed, never mind bitten."

"There was nobody there that I felt like hooking up with." Penny felt that she was almost apologising.

"There was a club full of hunks and not one of them took your fancy. I didn't believe that then, I don't believe that now. However you have left me puzzled. I thought that you had residual feelings of guilt for Leonard but I had forgotten until Bernadette just pointed it out that we all believed that he had moved on so the issue became moot. You obviously don't love Leonard so I am still befuddled as to why you haven't dated anyone in such a long time"

Bernadette was pondering."Actually I am a bit confused as Penny we've seen what you have been like since Leonard started dating Priya. Amy is saying you don't love him so why all the angst?"

"What do you mean?" Penny was being disingenuous she knew exactly what Bernadette meant but she was now and suspicious of both her and Amy and this whole discussion they'd all been having.

Amy replying in a "sing song" voice again confirmed Penny's suspicions. "Oh my God, I didn't see it. How could I have missed it? You haven't moved on from Leonard. Now everything that has happened over the last few months makes sense."

Bernadette chips in, in a more credible voice than Amy manages . "What makes sense?"

"The angst, as you just called it. We've seen how bestie has been since Leonard started dating Priya, the tears, the jealousy, the drinking to cover up the pain".

Penny was about to explode."What the hell. Look you two as I said to you before I have never denied I still have feelings for Leonard. I know I'm not as smart as you two, I don't have your education but I can see that this whole discussion has been a set up. Amy you say mean things about Leonard so that I will defend him and tell you some big secret about how I really feel about him. Well guess what this college drop- out is on to you both and there will be no big revelation as there is nothing to reveal."

Amy and Bernadette look at each other before they both looked down at their shoes. All the the while Penny carries on talking.

"Leonard is my friend, I developed feelings for him and I dated him, things didn't work out and we broke up. Yeah I still have feelings for him. In fact I will always have feelings for him. There you have got your big revelation, are you happy now?"

"No bestie I think it is more than that. Both and I Bernadette know that you are in fact in love with him"

"I don't know how I feel about him, how could you know?"

Instead of answering her directly Amy fiddles with her 'phone and then she finds the play button and then presses it at what she believes is the right time frame.

_No bestie, he is a pushover. I'm surprised you don't see it. After all you dated him you know what he is like. Sheldon actually said to me that everyone understands why you dumped him, the real mystery is why you went out with him in the first place._

_I went out with him because he's great. If I kept going out with him I probably would have married him and it's a little scary because I don't think I'm ready for that. you know. Plus I have got to learn how to spell "Hofstadter". Oh Ames what do I do?"_

Amy stops the recording. "Penny that is why I know you love Leonard, you thought about marrying him, you wouldn't think about marrying somebody you didn't love."

Penny was panicking and her normal type of behaviour when she was in that state of mind was to lash out.

"You know what I've just realised I'm not a friend to you two. I'm just an experiment, a blonde monkey. I know what your thinking let's manipulate this dumb girl , get her drunk, record her and see if we can make the stupid girl realise that she has feelings for one of our fellow brainiacs. Aren't we clever. Well guess what this guinea pig has had enough. Both of you go to HELL"

Penny then stomps towards her bedroom and slams the door hard.

Amy and Bernadette are briefly stunned before they become very upset, Bernadette is in fact crying. They both go towards Penny's bedroom door.

Amy speaks first. "Penny we're really sorry we really didn't mean to hurt you"

Penny doesn't want to know. "I don't care, go away, leave me alone".

"Please hear us out bestie, normally it is very difficult for us to get you to talk about your feelings especially about Leonard. Last time we confronted you about them during that game of truth or dare you ran into your room much like you did now. Have you ever heard the Latin saying _In Vino Veritas_?

Penny doesn't respond.

"I take it from your silence that you haven't. It means in wine lies the truth. It means that a person under the influence of alcohol is more likely to reveal their true thoughts and desires. Thoughts and desires that for whatever reason they normally keep hidden. Last night the way you reacted and the things you said confirmed the depth of your feelings for Leonard. I know from listening to his fight with Priya that Leonard has deep feelings for you also. You are both crazy about each other." Amy starts to get slightly emotional .

"I k...now how m...much you have helped me. How you have become m..my best friend, how you have took me under your wing and helped me experience the kind of social life that I only previously dr..eamed about. I owe you s... o much and by helping to r..reunite you with the man that you love I thought I could repay s..some of t..that d..debt."

Penny's anger on hearing Amy's heartfelt plea did thaw a little.

"By the way bestie all those mean things I said about Leonard are things that he actually thinks and believes."

Bernadette corroborates Amy's assertion.

"Amy's right. When I came to your apartment last night. Howie and Leonard were sat talking in the car. Even though he was sworn to secrecy I made Howie tell me what they talked about."

Despite the emotional turmoil that was happening both Penny and Amy smirked at the thought of Bernadette breaking Howard's not so great will power.

Bernadette was oblivious to this and carried on talking."Leonard was really upset not because he broke up with Priya but because he is still in love with you, and he believes that you will never feel the same way about him. He told Howie about how on the first day you met him and Sheldon, you told them about how you had lived with Kurt for four years and despite his lying and cheating you still loved him. Leonard contrasted that with when he told you he loved you and instead of saying it back you ended your relationship with him. I think he previously thought that you had dumped him because you had issues generally with talking about your feelings and with commitment. After remembering what you told him about Kurt Leonard now thinks that the problem you have is not with commitment ,but actually committing to him. You're close friends who are both attracted to and care for each other."

Penny was still in her room but her anger was now not so much dissipating as melting. She was silently agreeing with what Bernadette had just said. 'Of course I care for him'.

Bernadette's monologue was still on-going."He is in love with you but because he believes you are not in love with him that makes you feel guilty. He thinks that it is this guilt that prevents you from moving on to another relationship. Leonard mentioned the party at the comic book store and you kissing Zack at midnight. He said that the kiss was very awkward because of this guilt as you saw that Leonard was stood behind you".

Penny now had flowing tears in her eyes . 'It was awkward because I was kissing the wrong person. I should have been kissing Leonard'.

Penny does not articulate what she is thinking but does leave her bedroom to face Amy and Bernadette.

Immediately Amy and Bernadette realise that Penny had been crying and Bernadette hurriedly walks towards her to hug her. Amy for a moment feels slightly left out until Bernadette signals to her to join them. Penny embraced Bernadette and Amy for a group hug.

They all start crying. In between the tears, Bernadette started speaking again.

"I'm really sorry we upset you. We really didn't mean to we both love you and have seen how unhappy you have been especially since Leonard had been dating Priya. I know he has only just broken up with her but we really think that Leonard and you belong together. We know he loves you we just wanted you to realise that you also feel the same way about him".

Penny is still very tearful but she breaks the hug and make her way towards her couch and sits down. She is still crying

The thin...ng is I can...'t tell him how I fe...el I am s...o confu...sed"

"Why can't you tell him?" Amy was speaking for both herself and Bernadette.

"Well you heard what I said last night. If I end up getting back together with Leon..ard I will ending up ma..rrying him and I...m not ready for it" Penny was still very emotional

"Who is talking about marriage? You're a long way from that. What makes you think Leonard is ready? You're jumping about a hundred steps. I think you both need to admit your feelings for each other and then take it from there" Bernadette had interjected.

Penny was adamant though. "I'm telling you I can't do it. I'm s...cared."

Amy was getting exasperated. "Scared of what exactly? Scared of being happy? Look bestie I know things didn't work out with Priya but Leonard will find someone who isn't scared to admit her feelings for him and you will lose him forever."

Penny's crying intensified at the thought of Leonard not being in her life.

"I'm sorry bestie for upsetting you again but you really need to wake up and smell the coffee . Why does committing to Leonard scare you so much?"

"What if we get back together and I do something stupid like dump him? I can't hurt him like that. I would then really lose him forever"

Amy was pondering. "Bestie sorry to keep reiterating this but if he finds somebody else that will happen anyhow. You saw how Priya stopped you hanging around with him. Given your history with each other no potential partner of Leonard will be comfortable with you being his friend and neighbour."

"I will respect that. At least I will see him every now and again and I know he will be h...app..y and won..'t h...ate me, an...d may be in time his g... irlfrien...d or wi..fe won't see me as a thr..eat."Penny was trying to control her emotions, but wasn't successful. The scenario she was outlining about Leonard being with somebody else and not her was making her almost distraught and she felt like she needed a drink.

"The thing is Penny he might not be part of your life even if you don't move". Bernadette was about to reveal the final bombshell about Leonard's desire to move away from Penny and Pasadena when she was suddenly made to jump by shouting in the hallway.

"You know what screw your roommate agreement"

"You have lived here for over eight years so you are bound by it"

"Well you know what, SUE me you crazy bastard" the girls were now all out in the hall and they all looked at each other in astonishment they had never seen Leonard so angry.

"How many times have I got to tell you I'm not crazy my mother had me tested". Sheldon's common retort made Bernadette and Penny shake their head.

"I don't care I'm leaving. You're just a selfish JERK you always have been, always will be. Instead of being pleased for me the only thing you care about is how it will affect you" Leonard was still in a vitriolic mood.

"Princeton is hardly paradise and we see how long your friend Dr Hasan keeps you on his team when he realises you haven't done any original research for years"

"Compared to the hell that is living with you, Princeton is paradise and unlike you Zahid is not insane and he is aware of my research. Anyhow I'm going to Howard's, I will make arrangements to pick up my things from the apartment. I have paid my share of the rent till the end of the month so my things still have a right to be in the room. Goodbye you strange,weird man".

Leonard quicker than he had probably ever done in his life negotiated the stairs out of his apartment.

"Mark my words Leonard Hofstadter. This is not the end, you will be driving me to work as normal on Monday". Sheldon for a brief moment stared at the three women staring at him and then proceeded to slam the door of his apartment.

Penny looked at her two friends. "Princeton? What the hell is going on?"


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry again this is a much longer chapter than I planned. I can't believe I intended this story to be just a one shot. Despite my original intentions I have incorporated all of the main characters into the story apart from Stuart. Please leave reviews. I don't own any of the characters. They belong to CBS and Mr Chuck Lorre et al. Of course Dr Zahid Hasan is a real person**.

In Leonard's car

Leonard was in his car on his way to Howard's house. He was of course still very angry at Sheldon but he was also mad with himself. He had been careless which had allowed Sheldon to find about his acceptance of the job at Princeton, which led to their blazing row in the hallway.

The previous night, after he had sent the e-mail to Zahid Hasan,he had been very emotional. However despite this he did manage to get some sleep, albeit at four o'clock in the morning. As a consequence of this however he did not get up till eleven. Upon waking up he felt sad but momentarily forgot the reason why. He then remembered the decision that he had made last night about leaving Pasadena.

This led to a prolonged bout of introspection as to whether he was doing the right thing. Whilst he was reflecting he was looking through the photos on his phone. All the recent ones were with Priya. He had thought about the events of the previous night and the ending of his relationship with her. What was surprising to him was the fact that after after getting six to seven hours of sleep he no longer felt sad but was actually relieved about what had happened.

This then led him to open up his laptop to look at a file that he hadn't accessed for a while. The one that that contained the pictures of him and Penny.

There were at least a few hundred photos some taken by him, some by Penny, a lot of them were taken by Howard and Raj.

He was feeling a mixture of emotions whilst sliding through each photo. A lot of the photos were of them before they had started dating as they had become gradually closer as friends. There were of course the photos of them as a couple. Leonard felt a combination of joy, as this had been the happiest time of his life, with a tinge of sadness because of the fact that this happy time with the woman of his dreams had ended. These were naturally followed by the post break up photos, there were pictures of the gang doing the lunar experiment on the roof of the and Penny were in one of the photos, Leonard had a rye smile on his face as he remembered how the night had ended and the hope he felt the next morning that the most significant relationship in his life would recommence.

However his heart was broken when the love of his life had called their hook up a mistake. Leonard's eyes were starting to become teary. The tears disappeared temporarily when Leonard saw the photos of him with Penny's dad Wyatt and he remembered how much fun he had playing along with Penny's deception of him.

This interlude of mirth was brief because it was again overtaken by an overwhelming feeling of melancholy as Leonard realised that he was giving up on Penny despite what Wyatt had requested of him.

The tears were in full flow by the time he saw the pictures of the New Year's Eve party at the comic book store. Leonard's overwhelming memory from the event was that kiss between Penny and Zack at midnight. As previously this memory left him feeling a mixture of both of jealousy and of guilt. The cause of the jealousy was obviously because somebody other than him was kissing the woman that he loved. The guilt was due to his perception that the kiss was awkward because of Penny's guilt about her and Leonard breaking up.

However despite the tears the guilt that he felt did have the effect of strengthening his resolve about leaving Pasadena. After all one of the main reasons for him coming to the decision was to allow Penny to move on. He was still firm in his perception that this was not something that she would be able to do with him in close proximity.

As he believed he had made the right decision he metaphorically dusted himself down to get on with the rest of the day. He went to the bathroom to get a shower. As he left his bedroom he could hear the reassuring noise of the tv, Leonard didn't turn around but he assumed as it was Saturday that Sheldon was watching a Dr Who marathon.

After he had his shower he went to the kitchen to make himself some breakfast. He saw Sheldon who greeted him with a good morning but also gave him a disapproving look, probably due to the time Leonard had woken up. Leonard also saw another person with a towel over their head, sat on the couch. He realised from looking at the style of clothing that it was Raj.

He asks Raj why he was there. Sheldon answered and went over the events of the previous night involving him and Raj. He told Leonard about the experimental drug that Raj took to help him overcome his social anxiety around women. He then went on to tell him about the trip to the coffee shop and how after talking to a woman Raj ended up taking all his clothes off because the drug had the effect of completely lowering all his inhibitions.

Leonard laughed when he heard about Sheldon's and one of the coffee shop's barista's attempt to cover Raj's nakedness with some aprons. They had eventually succeeded and after collecting Raj's clothes and putting them in a bag they managed to persuade him to drive Sheldon back home. Sheldon then relayed what happened back at the apartment and how Raj ended up taking off the aprons and how Sheldon played chess with him whilst Raj stood naked in the kitchen area because Sheldon would not allow him to sit on his couch without any clothes on.

However once the effects of the drug started wearing off Raj realised he was nude and put his clothes back on. Sheldon then boasted that he had made Raj a hot beverage after he had become distressed, after realising what he had done. Sheldon also allowed him to spend the night at the apartment because he was also too embarrassed to actually go out as well.

Leonard realised how preoccupied he must have been the previous night because he had not noticed that Raj was sleeping on the couch.

Sheldon then asked Leonard as to why he had come back home and was not at Raj's apartment with Priya.

Leonard confessed that him and Priya had broken up. This prompted Raj to remove the towel from his head and look at Leonard. He suddenly became the protective brother and questioned if Leonard had hurt his sister.

Leonard answered truthfully and said probably but he also stated that Priya had also hurt him as well. He however did not go into specific details but just said that they both agreed that the relationship had run its course.

Raj realised that Leonard's expression changed as he was answering his questions and that his eyes indicated that he was feeling very sad.

This made Raj feel guilty as he thought that Leonard must have been hurting from the break up. He had been against the relationship from the start and was relieved when Leonard had told him it had ended . Nevertheless though, he also felt sorry for his friend because Leonard's demeanour indicated that he had suffered emotionally as a result of the relationship ending.

Leonard, for his part, had for a few minutes been in hysterics whilst he was listening to Sheldon relive his and Raj's exploits of the previous night. The sadness and melancholy returned however after he became compelled to answer Sheldon and Raj's questions about what had happened between him and Priya.

His mood further deteriorated after Sheldon demanded that he drive him to both the Lego store and the train store as he needed to buy a few things.

Before Leonard got the chance to refuse, Raj stated that he would drive Sheldon to wherever he wanted to go. The embarrassment that he previously felt was blunted somewhat by the guilt he now felt not just for Leonard but also for the inconvenience he had caused Sheldon after his antics of the previous night.

Sheldon was at first reluctant to go with Raj as he was still slightly wary of whether the effects of the drug had fully worn off. Raj persuaded him that it had, and Sheldon slightly hesitantly left the apartment with Raj, leaving Leonard on his own.

Leonard was both despondent and preoccupied about his relationship with Penny. It was past eleven o'clock and he was tempted to go across the hall and talk to the woman of his dreams. He loved spending time with Penny even if it was just for the company. He had missed doing that since Priya had effectively banned him from hanging around with her. This was of course no longer an issue but nevertheless he still didn't think it was a good idea to go and see her because given his current state of mind and the fact that he was planning to leave her forever, would mean he would get emotional. Of course leaving forever would also mean he would need to get into the habit of not seeing her.

His preoccupation was suddenly interrupted when his cell phone rang. He felt a mixture of excitement and anticipation when he saw the number of his friend and erstwhile future boss Dr Zahid Hasan.

He took a few puffs of his asthma inhaler to calm himself down , he then proceeded to answer his 'phone.

His friend Zahid told him that he was thrilled to have received his e-mail. He also told him that he realised that Leonard had sent the e-mail in the early hours of the morning and was therefore likely to be having a lie in. Taking account of the time difference between California and New Jersey he thought that now was probably the best time to ring him.

Zahid informed Leonard that the the job was more or less his but he needed to still complete the formality of an interview. He asked Leonard to come to Princeton for the interview in two days time on Monday. He said that the plane tickets for the journey would be paid for by the university with a view to him starting with the research for the week after next.

Zahid also asked permission from Leonard for President Tilghman of Princeton to contact President Siebert to formally request that Leonard was seconded to Princeton for this project. Zahid knew that Leonard wanted to transfer to Princeton permanently and this secondment would be the first step.

Leonard not only gave his permission but also said that he would after the interview likely stay in New Jersey for the week. He did have vacation time owing and he thought he could visit his dad, his sister and maybe even his mom. He also needed to find a place to live.

Leonard had now become determined to leave California as soon as possible and Zahid requesting he be there for Monday had given him the pretext.

Zahid delved into the personal life of his friend and asked if he was alright after the breakup with the person he called the "Indian girl". Leonard said truthfully that he was handling this breakup a lot better than he had his previous one. Zahid was suspicious that Leonard's late night/ early morning acceptance of the job offer, which he had previously declined, was a reaction to the turmoil in his private life. He advised Leonard that even after the interview he still had time to change his mind and he suggested that during his time in New Jersey he think about whether he really wanted to leave his life in California. Leonard tried to reassure him that his mind was made was not convinced but told Leonard the university would e-mail him his flight tickets later on in the day. He would be flying from LAX on Sunday evening.

Zahid then ended the call by telling Leonard that he looked forward to seeing him on Monday, they both then said goodbye.

The telephone call and Zahid's doubts had the unexpected effect of boosting Leonard's steadfastness with regards to the decision that he had made. He realised that if he wasn't going to return to California that he needed to do some substantial packing.

For the next few hours Leonard became completely focused on trying to get as many of his things packed as possible. He however only had one suitcase. He realised that not only did he need to buy another one but that he also wouldn't be able to manage to take all his belongings with him on Sunday. He had also forgotten about his car. He needed to think about selling it. He did toy with the idea of taking his car to Jersey once he got settled. He however analysed that the potential road trip would be too much of an undertaking in terms of time. The dilemma he had was that he could hire a moving company but that wouldn't be cost effective as he didn't have enough stuff to move to warrant the sort of outlay in terms of money that was needed. As no immediate solution was coming to mind, Leonard decided to go and buy the extra suitcase.

He returned nearly two hours later not only with a suitcase but with storage cases and two trunks from The Container Store.

He was so focused on his packing and the logistics of his move to Jersey that he had not given any thought to hiding what he was doing before his roommate came back.

It took him two trips downstairs to his car to get everything he had bought into the apartment. As he was so engrossed in getting all his belongings into both his new suitcase and the other storage equipment, he hadn't realised that he had left one of the trunks in the main living area of the apartment.

Once Leonard was satisfied that he had got as much packed as he physically could, he decided to take a shower as he was all hot and sweaty.

Whilst he was packing he had given some thought as to how to resolve his dilemma about hiring a moving company to ferry his belongings to Jersey.

There were collectibles that him and Sheldon had purchased jointly which would need to be divided. The sword known as Longclaw displayed in all its resplendent glory in the living room being one of the more prominent example of these collectibles. It was worth hundreds of dollars.

Leonard knew that this was not a discussion that him and Sheldon would be able to have immediately as Sheldon would probably be in a completely unreasonable frame of mind for sometime because of Leonard leaving. Leonard was hoping that Sheldon would eventually get over his departure and that he could, albeit remotely via Skype, have a discussion about their shared property.

Once that was resolved it would make it would likely make it more cost effective to hire a moving company.

As he came out into the room to have a shower he was slightly startled by a voice asking him what the trunk was doing in the living area.

Of course even before he turned around he realised that it was Sheldon and that he had come back home.

Leonard silently cursed himself for leaving the trunk outside because he was not yet ready to tell Sheldon of his plans to leave.

Leonard was not very good at lying especially to Penny and Priya but with Sheldon he had developed a knack for it. Quite often in order to keep Sheldon under control he would often need to stretch the truth, to exaggerate it or even flat out lie. This was one of those occasions.

Leonard told Sheldon that he had got the trunk as he needed to give back to Priya the clothes and belongings that she kept at the apartment. Sheldon asked why he was using a trunk and not the smaller storage cases that you could buy from the The Container Store. Leonard responded by telling him that within some of Priya's clothes was some racy underwear and that the storage cases were see- through. Sheldon reacted in horror at the mention of underwear as Leonard knew he would and this had the intended effect of stopping any further probing.

Leonard switched his 'phone off and put it in the kitchen area and then went for his shower.

He came out after approximately twenty minutes to see Sheldon staring at him intently. Leonard looked back at Sheldon with a mystified expression. The confusion escalated when Sheldon told him that he has two missed calls from President Siebert on his 'phone. Leonard stated that he had switched his 'phone off. Sheldon insisted that he only put it on silent and that Sheldon heard the 'phone vibrate on two separate occasions and that he saw President Siebert's name both times.

Leonard was now inwardly panicking but he disguised it. He mentally slapped himself for not checking that he had properly switched off the 'phone, he'd obviously just left it on silent. He pretended to Sheldon that he didn't know the reasons for President Siebert's missed calls. Sheldon insisted Leonard call President Siebert. Leonard said he would but at a time of his and not Sheldon's choosing. He then went into his room and took the trunk that he had left in the living area with him. He re-emerged a few minutes later. He had put Priya's belongings in the trunk, in truth there were only a few garments of clothing including pyjamas but no underwear. There were not enough clothes to fit even a large plastic bag never mind a trunk. However Leonard needed an excuse to go outside so he could speak to President Siebert away from the "Vulcan"hearing of his roommate.

Leonard told Sheldon that he was going out to give Raj Priya's belongings and that he would be back in a little while.

Sheldon was getting ready for laundry night and ignored Leonard.

Leonard first rang Raj from his car using the Bluetooth on his cell 'phone. He asked Raj to meet him outside his apartment so that he could collect Priya's things.

He then made a call to President Siebert. President Siebert confirmed to Leonard that he had received a call from President Tilghman of Princeton requesting that Leonard be seconded to them. President Siebert told Leonard that he had agreed as long as Caltech were mentioned as a collaborative partner in Dr Hasan's project. He said that President Tilghman had agreed to this request.

Leonard told his boss about his wish to take some of his vacation time in Jersey next week. President Siebert agreed that he could do that as long as he had shut down any experiments that he was currently working on. Leonard told him that it would only take him at the most two hours to shut down his lab and that he was intending to go to Caltech tomorrow morning to do just that. President Siebert thanked him and wished him luck before ending the call.

Leonard was outside Raj's apartment. He called Raj and handed over the trunk containing Priya's belongings. They had a brief conversation in which Leonard told Raj that he had some news which he would discuss with him tomorrow. Leonard then headed back to his apartment.

He was dreading coming back home because he knew that Sheldon would ask about why President Siebert was calling and that inevitably he would have to tell him.

Leonard was right because as soon as he walked through the door Sheldon starting badgering him. In order to maintain a semblance of control Leonard told Sheldon he had do something on his laptop but after that he would tell him the reason for President Siebert's call. He asked Sheldon to make a hot beverage for himself and for Leonard.

Leonard checked his e-mails to see if he had been sent the plane tickets for New Jersey. He saw that he was indeed booked on a overnight flight from LAX to Newark Airport departing at nine fifteen Pacific Daylight Time and arriving at five fifteen Eastern Daylight Time. There was also a train ticket from Newark Liberty International Airport Station to Princeton Junction departing at seven thirty seven and arriving at Princeton Junction at eight thirty one.

He printed off his tickets and then went to the couch to sit near Sheldon who was sat in his usual spot.

Leonard informed Sheldon that a few weeks ago when his friend Dr Zahid Hasan has visited Caltech he had offered Leonard a place on his research team looking into Weyl fermions. He told Sheldon he had initially turned down the offer but that now after a period of reflection he had accepted and that he would be moving back to New Jersey and Princeton. He also let him know that President Siebert had approved the secondment and that is why he had rang. Sheldon asked when all this was due to happen and he became visibly shocked when Leonard told him he was leaving tomorrow.

Sheldon of course reacted as expected and kept telling him that he couldn't go as he was in breach of the roommate agreement as he had not given Sheldon adequate notice of his departure. He then made derogatory remarks about how Princeton was a less prestigious institution than Caltech. Leonard responded by telling him that firstly that the roommate agreement had no legal validity. Secondly Princeton's academic pedigree was universally renowned. It had seventeen Nobel laureates in Physics alone on top of being the alma mater of one of Sheldon's heroes Richard Feynman.

Leonard also stated that although he enjoyed work at Caltech a lot of what he was doing had no direct real world impact . In way of contrast being part of the team that discovered Weyl fermions would be groundbreaking and could lead the way to a more energy efficient future for everybody.

Sheldon was getting frustrated as Leonard was successfully countering all the arguments that he was making However he then had a mini epiphany about the timing and suddenness of Leonard's announcement,which forced him to employ a different tact. Although he admitted to Leonard that he was not good at reading people's emotions or with empathy he did believe that based on the timing of his announcement that the reasons Leonard had just given for leaving were actually false and that his decision to go to New Jersey was actually a reaction to his breakup with Priya.

Although what Sheldon had said was partially true Leonard was adamant that his reasons for moving back to New Jersey were related both to the advancement of science and of his own personal career. His roommate however was equally adamant that the very short time scales involved indicated that Leonard had made an uncharacteristically impulsive decision. The only reason for Leonard to be prompted to react in this way is if there had been a sudden recent detrimental change in his life. The only very recent change in his life had been his break up with Priya.

Leonard was now starting to get irritated not least because a lot of what Sheldon was saying was to a degree very accurate. He however managed to remained calm and firstly denied to his friend that he had made an impulsive decision. He then went on to say that even if what Sheldon was saying was true that did not negate the fact that this was a good opportunity for him as a scientist.

Sheldon realising that he was still losing the argument then accused Leonard of being selfish as he was only thinking about himself and not how his leaving would affect Sheldon. Who would drive him to work every morning? Who would take him to his appointments? Who would drive him to the comic book store every Wednesday?

Being accused of being selfish by Sheldon "hit a nerve" for Leonard and he told Sheldon that in fact he, Sheldon, was the most selfish, self centred person that he had ever met. Everything had to revolve around him and his needs. Leonard said that he understood better than anybody else that Sheldon did lack self perception about how the consequences of his behaviour affected everyone around him but he still found it both galling and hypocritical for Sheldon to accuse Leonard, of all people, of being selfish. Leonard reminded Sheldon of how much he actually did for him.

Sheldon reacted by stating that Leonard had no choice in the matter as he was adhering to the roommate agreement which he, Leonard, had signed.

This enraged Leonard even further and he decided that as he was already in emotional turmoil he wasn't going to spend the night listening to Sheldon's perpetual whining.

He left to leave after taking a few puffs from his asthma inhaler. From the hallway he told Sheldon who had followed him out to screw the roommate agreement . This led to the heated row which was heard by Penny, Amy and realised that the girls were all in the hallway listening to him and Sheldon shouting at each other. He however was not yet ready to discuss anything about him leaving with Penny so he decided to quickly depart the apartment building.

As he was walking toward his car he rang Howard and asked whether he could sleep on his couch. Howard agreed that he could spend the night at his house but not on the couch, he had a spare room downstairs that Leonard could use. Leonard asked if he could come over now because in his current frame of mind if he was forced to spend any more time with Sheldon he would do or say something that he would later regret. Howard said the only plans he had were to demolish a brisket that his mother had made. He did have plans with Raj but Raj cancelled them, because of what happened last night between her and Leonard, he wanted to spend sometime with Priya. Howard asked what had happened between him and said he would rather tell him face to face . Howard also told Leonard that they were going to have dinner together as his mother always made enough food for a feast. Leonard accepted the offer thanked Howard and then ended the call.

Whilst he had been recalling the events of the day Leonard hadn't realised that he was actually outside Howard's house.

Outside Howard's House

As soon as he rang the doorbell he heard the familiar yelling of Mrs Wolowitz.

"HOWARD who is a the door? Is it your little friend Leonard.

"I don't know ma, you won't shut up long enough for me to answer it". It didn't take much for Howard to become sarcastic with his mother.

"Is it Leonard?"

"I don't know I HAVEN'T OPENED THE DOOR YET"

"Alright there is no need to yell"

Howard opened the door and greeted Leonard.

"C'mon in buddy. Ma Leonard's here"

"I'm in the don't you boys play for a bit and I will call you when dinner is ready"

Howard was exasperated. "We don't play, we're grown men one of whom is a PHD and another who has a MASTERS IN ENGINEERING".

"Excuse me Mr grown up. Do you want some mini popsicles?"

Howard was still feigning anger. "YES PLEASE LEMON"

He looked at Leonard and mouthed something. Leonard nodded."

"Two" Howard barked back at his mom.

Howard showed Leonard the spare room and then told him that Raj would be joining them. Priya apparently wanted to spend some time on her own. Howard then asked Leonard about what had happened with Sheldon. Leonard however asked Howard if he would mind waiting for Raj to come and he would tell them both together. Howard was slightly anxious about Leonard wanting to speak to both of them together, but he nevertheless agreed.

Raj arrived and the three friends and Mrs Wolowitz all had dinner together.

They of course all had brisket followed by chocolate covered matzo for dessert.

After they finished eating and Mrs Wolowitz had cleared the table they all sat down. Howard was sat on the couch. Raj and Leonard were sat on the two sofas situated either side of it.

Leonard on the prompting of Howard then revealed the full details of what had prompted his fight with Sheldon,the fact that he was leaving Pasadena. He also revealed to Raj the reasons for his departure, his love for Penny and her not feeling the same way about him.

Howard of course already knew the reasons as to why he was leaving as they had discussed it the previous night. However he was still shocked that Leonard, despite Howard's request not to act too hastily, had within the space of twenty four hours both decided and made arrangements to leave California by the following day.

Raj was equally shocked not just by the fact that Leonard was leaving but the fact that it was the depth of his feelings for Penny that were prompting him to leave.

However his first thoughts were naturally about his sibling and her feelings which prompted him to interrogate Leonard.

"So you were dating my sister, whilst you were in love with another woman?"

Leonard felt guilty but he still felt the need to defend himself."Firstly it is not just another woman it is Penny we are talking about. Secondly your sister was doing the same".

"What do you mean? Don't you cast aspersions on my sister like that to cover up your behaviour."

Leonard realised that Priya probably hadn't told Raj about the reasons for the breakup and in a final act of chivalry for her he decided to not reveal anything further. "It is none of your business."

"It is my business she is my sister and you have hurt her. If I wasn't a pacifist I would have punched you by now."

"Your not a pacifist your just a wimp. You know I would punch you back" Leonard was getting riled.

"Yeah try it white boy, they don't call me the Bombay bad boy for nothing".

Howard was now getting exasperated. "Nobody calls you that. You have just made that up and YOU'RE FROM DELHI. Leonard for God's sake just tell him about that guy from India."

Raj was curious "What guy from India? Leonard please tell me."

"He won't tell you I will. She had an ex-boyfriend who she was still in contact with whilst she was going out with Leonard".

"So what's wrong with that? He still maintained contact with Penny and I even lied to my sister about that when she forbade him from seeing her."

"You don't understand when I said maintain contact, she was sexting him and sharing naked pictures".

"Oh."Raj was feeling guilty and slightly shameful.

"I'm sorry Leonard. Is that what you meant this morning when you said she also hurt you?"

Leonard nodded. There then followed an uncomfortable few minutes of silence. This was broken by Leonard looking at Howard.

"Would you drop me to the airport tomorrow? I need to get there by seven fifteen".

Howard responded. "Of course I will."

Raj then piped up. "Can I come as well? I'm sorry about before, but she is my sister."

"It's fine Raj. I'm sorry for hurting her"

Leonard and Raj then got up and hugged each other.

"You know what it just hit me you're leaving. We have all been friends for a long time, now it'll just be me and him" Howard pointed to Raj

"Oh no guys please spend time with Sheldon as well" Leonard was still concerned about his best friend.

"Look Leonard we all originally hung around with him because he was your roommate and friend. Now that you are no longer going to be here we have no reason to be friends with him, besides he doesn't even consider me a friend just an acquaintance."Howard was actually looking forward to not seeing Sheldon on a regular basis.

"Look like it or not he is a part of your lives now. You are engaged to Bernadette who is friends with Amy. Amy is Sheldon's girl slash friend so there will be times when you will be forced to socialise together. Besides what about at work he will still expect you to all sit together for lunch. Please don't abandon him. We all know how annoying and infuriating he can be but we also know it's not deliberate. Besides which we know how much progress he has made in the last few years, although he denies it he has a girlfriend now. Who would have thought that was possible a few years ago".

"Fine we'll make sure we're there for him but if his manufacturer recalls him we're not getting a replacement". Leonard and Raj had a chuckle at Howard's quip.

"What are you doing about your car? I will sell it for you if you're not taking it with you"

" No actually I am giving it to Penny. Her car should have been on the scrap heap years ago"

Raj and Howard look at each other and shook their heads.

Howard spoke for both of them "Man you've got it bad. Do you think you she will do the old dance with no pants with you for old times sake when you give her the car? I know I would if somebody gave me a car"

"That's disgusting Howard . He has made such a beautiful gesture for the woman he loves and you cheapen it." Raj seemed to be visibly moved and was on the verge of crying.

"Stop getting you Kootherpanties in a twist. I'm just messing with him, bringing a little humour to the party".

Leonard just shook his head at his two friends. "I'm really gonna miss you guys."

"We can still keep in touch via Skype and we can come to Jersey but we'll have to be careful if we do that."

"Why?" Leonard was curious.

"Because Sheldon might want to come with us and you would definitely never want to see us again after that."

Howard managed to lighten the mood as all three friends started laughing.

"Right shall we play some Mario Kart?"

For the next two to three hours the three friends were in competition with each they called it a night after Leonard had won for the umpteenth time.

They all realised that this was probably the last time they would be playing video games with this and all them regretted the fact that Sheldon wasn't there for the occasion.

Leonard had left his apartment abruptly and had not brought his laptop. He was not really tired, his mind was still racing due to the events of the asked Howard for some pen and paper and then sat up on the bed to start composing a letter which began with;

_Dear Penny._


End file.
